Leveling kit and top perch?

[mudblood]

Getting different rims and wheels will change the equation. All I am saying is mid perch, at least in my case did not get me close to level. Does it look better, of course but I still have over two inches before both front and rear are equal. Perhaps there is a difference between scabs and screws as well.

 

[FP Forged]

mudblood, have you thought about dropping the rear or using the progressive front springs at mid perch? I haven't experienced it but I've heard top perch is pretty stiff based on the amount of preload on the stock spring

 

[mudblood]

mudblood, have you thought about dropping the rear or using the progressive front springs at mid perch? I haven't experienced it but I've heard top perch is pretty stiff based on the amount of preload on the stock spring

Funny you should ask. Yes that is exactly what I am considering. I know one member on here is currently running mid perch with these progressive springs. He has been running this set up for over a year with no issues. I think if I do this I will also install 1 1/2 inch UCA's to assist. My difference of 2.25 inches between front and rear would shrink to no more than a quarter of an inch. Now that is pretty damn level my friend.

 

[TheWolf]

I went to mid perch on a 14 screw and got only about 1.4 inchs of extra lift. I am still not level. By my measurements from ground to bottom of flair at stock on a level service there was almost 3.8 inches of difference from front to rear. With the truck at mid pearch there is now about 2.35 inchs of difference between front and rear. By my calculations top pearch should get close to exactly level. I expect what we see as level on mid perch is still not exactly level or both front and rear measurements would be close to the same. That is why on some services the nose looks to be higher than the rear at top perch. A more accurate measurement would be distance from ground to bottom of flair. I would be courious to hear what other folks are getting from a mid pearch versus a lower perch.

I am no expert, but I do not think the distance from ground to top of the front and rear flairs is an accurate indication of being level or not. I don't think the two flairs are the same height above the frame. I think a better measurement of level is the height of the running board off of the ground. With my rear drop shackles and stock perch, the height above ground on the rear of the running boards is about 1/8 inch higher than the front, nearly level. The height above ground to the top of the wheel well flair is still 1-1/4 inch higher in the rear. If I were to raise the front enough to get the flairs the same, the cab of the truck would be much higher in front than in back, giving the bulldog look.


You can also check levelness with a 2-foot carpenters level. Put it on the ground below the driver's door and note the bubble location. Then put the level on the running board and compare the bubble location. You can also put the level on the door sill. For me, the bubble was pretty close to being in the same location for all three places.


The Ford Racing Rear Lowering Kit drop shackles lowered the rear about 1-3/4 inches from stock height. Here are before and after pics. The first is stock and the second is with the drop shackles, in which the cab of the truck looks level to the ground but the rear flair is still higher than the front flair.


http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f9/lowering-rear-31770/index3.html

 

[TheWolf]

Here's the pic with the drop shackles in which I added some reference lines. The running board line is close to parallel with the ground, but the flair line is not parallel to the ground, it is higher above the ground in the rear.

 

[mudblood]

Here's the pic with the drop shackles in which I added some reference lines. The running board line is close to parallel with the ground, but the flair line is not parallel to the ground, it is higher above the ground in the rear.

Interesting concept but I made measurements in several locations including running boards and used a level as well in multiple locations. My calculations seem to run about the same no matter how I measured. Now this is not an exact science unless you were able to run a laser light on a perfect level position from front to rear but I am no where that exact. I expect there are numerious issues that can affect the measurements and how that is perceived. My goal is to have the same distance from ground to top of fender front and rear to satisify myself that I feel the truck is now "level".

 

[LekRap]

Going through the same thing as you Mudblood

Hey Mudblood,
This might be too late of a response but I'm currently experiencing the exact same questions that you are. I totally agree with you that MY definition of level is ground to fender flare.

I originally put the truck up to mid perch AND put 2" drop shackles in the back and was pretty damn happy but STILL felt that the back was just ever so slightly higher than the front. From my measurements it was about 3/4"-1" higher in OUR measurements.

So just last week I also replaced my stock blocks in the rear with smaller 1.5" block made by Ready Lift that still has the bump stop deal on it to retain that function. That ended up giving me a total of 3.5" of drop in the back. I will admit that this was too much (just had to try it). It was kinda goofy low in the back AND MOST IMPORTANTLY the ride SUCKED! Through questions to friends and some thought, it turned out that the shock was out of range and basically compressed to far. Just yesterday I decided to raise it back up one inch because my drop shackles have the option for either a 1 or 2" drop. That made a world of difference in the ride (shocks actually functioning properly) AND I think the height is dead on.

So basically, I think the magic combo for the way I like and I think you too Mudblood, is mid perch and 2.5" of drop in the rear. Many people may disagree but my measurements confirm my theory and my eyeball test makes me very happy. The easier combo would be mid perch and 2" drop in the rear. Me being a perfectionist wanted EXACTLY what I wanted.

Hope this helps those who are looking for the same look as me. As a small disclaimer...I am in So Cal and we are known if anything to like that "Cali-lean"-slightly lower in the back. That was my attempt with the 3.5" of drop in the back but it was too much-looked "cheap" in my opinion for a raptor.

 

[TheWolf]

Would like to see some pics of how that combo looks.

 

[onesickpuppy]

This should get good....

 

[LekRap]

Yeah, I will get some pics up in a couple days. Busy the next few days and my car wash guy comes Tuesday, so I'll get some good pics for you Wolf.

And OneSickPuppy, I don't see how this will get so interesting...I guess you think people will get defensive? I'm not defensive at all about this. Wolfs truck looks really nice...a huge huge improvement over the stock rake. What he did seems like a very practical and logical solution and for 99% of people, they would and should be happy. My post was more directed at Mudblood because he seemed to have the same outlook as me. I love the fact that everyone has different taste and different ideas on here. I would not want everyone to think like I do and want their trucks exactly the same. What's the fun in that?

I will post some pics in a couple days though so that I can share my experiences and hopefully help some people out, like others have helped me.